June 27, 2013 Wayne & Garfield County Insider

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INSIDER

Panguitch • Panguitch Lake • Hatch • Bryce • Tropic • Antimony • Henrieville • Cannonville • Escalante • Boulder • Fremont • Loa • Lyman

Thursday, June 27, 2013 • Issue # 1002

Bicknell • Teasdale • Torrey • Grover • Fruita • Caineville • Hanksville

Managed Cattle Grazing Might Help Endangered Flower PANGUITCH - The autumn buttercup is a perennial, bright yellow wildflower that can grow up to two feet tall, but only in one place in the world: the Sevier Valley. In order to save this native flower from extinction, botanists, students and volunteers planted 350 seedlings at The Nature Conservancy’s autumn buttercup rare plant preserve near Panguitch, Utah. “Any loss of biodiversity is a bad thing,” said Michele Skopec, a zoology professor at Weber State University who worked on the project. “Being able to maintain an endangered plant means you’re also maintaining a healthy ecosystem in the Sevier River Valley.” In 1991 The Nature Conservancy, with help from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, acquired and fenced much of the species’ remaining habitat. For years, experts were convinced that trampling from livestock damaged the

plants, so the conservancy always kept the preserve carefully fenced. However, the preserve protects only a small population, and subsequent habitat surveys, population monitoring and genetic studies had botanists worried they were losing the battle. They needed a new strategy. “Another private property, north of the preserve, maintained grazing, and yet still had the autumn buttercups on their property,” Skopec said. “Our hypothesis is that the plant might need disturbance in order to grow.” Skopec said when the cows were kept out, the area experienced an overgrowth of plants, which allowed small herbivores, such as voles, that need a lot of cover to move in and eat the plants. “The great thing about Managed Grazing cont’d on page 2

Photos: Ian Mathias/The Nature Conservancy

Special Presentations to Focus on Past Landscapes

Sergeant Kevin Wright, Colonel Daniel Fuhr, Senior Trooper Gaylen Moore, Darlene Pierson Evans, Laura Pollock during an awards ceremony honoring Utah highway troopers.

UHP Honors Local Highway Patrolmen

PROVO - The Utah Highway Patrol Association annual awards banquet was recently held in Provo where two Section 10 officers were recognized by their peers as recipients. Senior Trooper Gaylen Moore was awarded the Lynn Pierson Award based on his integrity and character. In honor of Trooper Ray Lynn Pierson who was killed in the line of duty in Garfield County in 1978, this award is presented to an officer with at least ten years of service in uniform with the Utah Highway Patrol who has shown outstanding character while serving the Department of Public Safety. The officer must actively participate in community projects and be an outstanding example for younger generations to follow. Gaylen has been with the UHP since 1984, stationed in Garfield County. A very positive, self-motivated officer, Gaylen works well with others and is very well respected by other officers, public safety personnel, and members of his community. Born and raised in Garfield County, Gaylen has lived in Panguitch most of life, has been involved with the Boy Scouts of America for 21 years, has served as a Panguitch High School Rodeo Commit-

tee member since 1992, on the Triple C Arena Advisory Board since 1999, and is a member of the Panguitch Invitational High School Rodeo Committee. An avid rodeo fan, Gaylen gives freely of his time to the youth of his community as they pursue their interest and talents in the rodeo arena. He has also been involved in school athletics for more than 20 years. Trooper Moore’s quiet demeanor conceals his dedication and commitment to the Department of Public Safety and the citizens of the State of Utah, but that dedication and commitment as well as his community involvement make Gaylen the recipient of this prestigious award. The Paul V. Mangelson Award is dedicated to the career and accomplishments of retired Sergeant Paul Mangelson and his efforts in the area of criminal interdiction. Trooper Bronson Wood was selected as the 2013 recipient of this prestigious award. Trooper Wood is a sevenyear veteran of the UHP and has been assigned to Section 10 since 2009. Another self-motivated, hard-working officer, he continuously leads the Section in enforcement, excelling in criminal interdiction. Trooper

Wood continually strives to display the six values of the Utah Highway Patrol (Service, Teamwork, Professionalism, Integrity, Courage, and Knowledge). He represents the State of Utah, the Department of Public Safety, and Section 10 in a professional manner. His expertise in the criminal interdiction field is already well developed and he continually works to maintain an up-to-date knowledge of laws and policy regarding enforcement changes. He willingly shares his expertise and experience with other officers and works well with other agencies throughout the Section. When learning of the selection of officers for these awards, Lt. Thayne Carlisle, Section 10 Commander stated, “These are two of the top awards given to Utah State Troopers. We are fortunate to have such fantastic troopers in this area. Both of these men set an example for all in the state to emulate and are willing to serve the citizens at any time. They are well deserving of these awards. I am honored to be able to associate with this caliber of men.” —Utah Highway Patrol

Volunteers head out to the field (above) in the Sevier River Valley near Panguitch on June 8 to plant autumn buttercup. One part of the restoration project is to test the effect of managed grazing on the native wildflower, pictured at right (with hoverfly).

PANGUITCH weather

LOA weather

No Big Hurdle for Her

ESCALANTE - High school track finals were last month but this great shot of hurdler Lindsey Phillips just arrived in our inbox. A graduating Escalante High School Senior, Phillips took state in the girls 300 hurdles at the state track meet at BYU on May 18. She ran a close second to Clarissa Johnson of Wayne High School in the 100 meter race. Lindsey was also a Deseret News pick on the All State Basketball team this year. She consistently maintained an average of 18 points a game all year. Lindsey Phillips is the daughter of Todd and Jill Phillips. At present Escalante High School is one of the smallest schools in the region but still produces some outstanding athletes. Submitted by Escalante correspondent Marlene Haws.

NOTICE No Open Burning in Wayne County Open burning season was over on May 31 and will not open again until Sept. 15 —Wayne County Fire Marshall Phone: 435-826-4400 Wayne: 435-836-2622 Fax 1-888-370-8546 PO BOX 105 Escalante, Utah 84726 snapshot@live.com

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. —Carl Jung (1875 - 1961) THE WAYNE & GARFIELD COUNTY INSIDER is owned and operated by Snapshot Multimedia, LLC and is distributed weekly to all of Wayne and Garfield Counties, Utah. Its purpose is to inform residents about local issues and events. Articles submitted from independent writers are not necessarily the opinion of Snapshot Multimedia, LLC. We sincerely hope you enjoy the paper and encourage input on ideas and/or suggestions for the paper.

ESCALANTE/KANAB - The Bureau of Land Management will host two special presentations with very different perspectives into the past. The first highlights the geology of Boulder Mountain and Aquarius Plateau, while the second takes a closer look at a historic trail. On Wednesday, June 26, 2013, Dr. David Marchetti will present “Black-boulder deposits in the Escalante Canyons section of GSENM”. Beginning at 5:00 p.m., Dr. Marchetti will explain about the origin of the volcanic rocks, how they came to be deposited around the upper Escalante basin, and what these deposits tell us about landscape evolution of the GSENM over the past few million years. The presentation will be held at the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center located at 755 West Main, in Escalante, Utah. Dr. David Marchetti is an Associate Professor of Geology at Western State Colorado University. He has studied the landscape evolution of the Escalante and Fremont River drainage basins since 2000. Dr. Marchetti research offers new observations about glacial deposits in the Escalante region. On Thursday, June 27, 2013, Jim Page, President of the Armijo Chapter of the Old Spanish Trail Association will present “Armijo and the Cockscomb - Obstacle or Opportunity?” This presentation concentrates on the Armijo route of the National Historic Old Spanish Trail (OST). Established in 1829, the OST became a major trade route between Santa Fe, NM and southern California. Based on his extensive research, Page offers new insights into the route Armijo and his men may have taken to traversed the geologic barrier called the Cockscomb between Page, AZ and Kanab, UT on Hwy 89. The program will begin a 7:00 p.m. at the BLM Kanab Visitor Center located at 745 East Highway 89, in Kanab, Utah. Both presentations are part of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Walks and Talks Lecture Series, last about an hour, and are free to the public. Call 435644-1200 for more information. —GSENM

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PRE-SORT STANDARD PAID RICHFIELD, UTAH PERMIT No. 122


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